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Selective Breeding
GCB 7.1
Explain, using an appropriate example from agriculture, why selective breeding has been practiced
  • Selective breeding has been practiced for thousands of years. It involves humans choosing two individuals to mate to produce offspring with certain desirable characteristics, such as leaner meat on an animal or wheat seeds that remain attached to the plant for longer. Many plants and animals for domestic and agricultural purposes have been bred in this way to produce new varieties.
GCB 7.5
Analyse and present information from secondary sources to trace the history of the selective breeding of one species for agricultural purposes and use available evidence to describe the series of changes that have occurred in the species as a result of this selective breeding
  • Use the websites given and others you find and information from your textbooks on the selective breeding of one species for agricultural purposes.
Websites on the history of wheat:
http://www.answers.com/topic/the-natural-history-of-wheat.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/science/add_gateway/living/genesrev1.shtml
http://www.bspb.co.uk/BSPB%20Handbook.pdf

Others: (cited HSC online)
http://www.saburchill.com/chapters/bio.html
http://www.ecifm.rdg.ac.uk/history.htm
  • When you have enough relevant information analyse it so you can organise it in a format that is summarised and shows a logical sequence of events. A flow chart may be one idea to summarise your work.
  • Present the information on Wikispaces.
  • Others in the class can now access the information.
Useful information to help you make a start.
Cattle and sheep have been specifically bred for such things as leaner meat, more milk, creamier milk, better quality wool and increased resistance to disease.
Pigs, due to selective breeding are less aggressive, have smaller tusks and more meat compared to their genetically similar ancestors.
Horses have been selectively bred from wild horses over centuries resulting in many varieties including draft horses. These animals include breeds such as the Shire, Clydesdale, Belgian and Suffolk which are used for specific farming purposes, but all involve greater strength, size and ability to pull wagons, ploughs and drays. Race horses also originated from wild horses and have been bred for greater speed.
Plants such as wheat have been bred to grow in harsh environmental conditions, have higher yields and have increased resistance to disease.